Apparatus for removing blocks of sheets and the like from stacks and feeding them forwardly



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5 Sheets-She'et 1 INVENTOR ARTHUR MATHER REED BY M ATTORNEYS June 14, 1960 A; M. REED APPARATUS FoR REMovING BLocxs oF SHEETS AND THE 957mm sTAcxs AND FEEDING THEM FoRwARDLY 1 Filed March 20 PI r--E ...Il A

June 14, 1960 A. M. REED 2,940,617

APPARATUS PoR REMovING BLocxs oF SHEETS AND THE LIKE FROM STACKS AND FEEDING THEM FORWARDLY Filed March 20, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l INVENTOR ARTHUR MATHER REED www ATTORNEYS A. M. REED LIKE APPARATUS FOR REMOVING BLOCKS OF SHEETS AND THE FROM STACKS AND FEEDING THEM FORWARDLY Filed March 20, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 im ....Nlmwwwwwwl A@ xNvEN-roR ARTHUR MATHER REED ATTORNEYS ...uhhhununHWWMMMWMWHMHMNNWNMMNHnu wwwnmwrwwunnuuu..

avamb? e? June 14, 1960 A. M. REED 2,940,517

APPARATUS FOR REMovING BLocKs 0E SHEETS AND THE LIKE FROM sTAcxs AND FEEDING THEM FoRwARDLY Filed March 20, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 figa INVENTOR ARTHUR MATHER REED m42/eww ATTORNEY5 June 14, 1960 A M REED 2,940,617

APPARATUS FOR REMOVIN BEOCKS OF SHEETS AND THE LIKE FROM STACKS AND FEEDING THEM FORWARDLY Filed March 20, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS United States Aatent O APPARATUS FOR REMOVING BLOCKS F SHEETS AND THE LIKE FROM STACKS AND FEEDING THEM FORWARDLY Arthur Mather Reed, Glens Falls, N.Y., assigner, by

mesne assignments, to Charles R. Stevens, Inc., Maumee, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 20, 1957, Ser. No. 647,440

6 Claims. (Cl. 214-85) This invention relates to apparatus for removing articles from a stack of such articles and feeding them forwardly from the location of the stack. lt was conceived and perfected as a solution to problems encountered in removal of successive blocks of paper sheets from a stack of such sheets and feeding of said blocks forwardly into position for convenient handling by the operator of a trimming press, and will be described for convenience primarily in lrelation to such problems.

The handling of such sheets incident to the perfomance of the trimming operation is essentially a manual operation as is also the removal of the successive blocks of sheets from the stack for trimming treatment. For these reasons, the operations in question do not lend themselves well to a fully timed automatic sequence of operations. On the other hand, it is highly desirable that the operations of removing these successive blocks from the stack and moving them into position for convenient access to the trimming press be performed by automatically operated machinery to the maximum feasible extent, and especially that the elements of laborious effort and danger of injury be minimized. A primary object and feature of this invention has been to attain these ends.

A more specific object and feature of the invention has been to eliminate the lifting of heavy stacks of sheets by the operators, and to provide a system of handling by which such manual operations as are required may be performed from positions of optimum advantage and safety.

A further object and feature has been to improve the neatness of the blocks of sheets passed to the trimming operation, and this feature has been the result in large measure of the improved positiveness vof control and ease v of handling discussed above.

A further object and feature has been to speedup production in these operations, and this has been attained to a striking degree by combination of the automatic features of operation with other features promoting convenience of handling.

In the attainment of these objects in the preferred form of the invention, there is provided a well extending below door level and a vertically adjustable support within said Well upon which the stack of sheets or the like is supported. This may comprise the so-called levelator apparatus familiar in this art. The pallet upon which the stack is supported is placed upon the levelator floor toward the rear thereof, and the level is adjusted until the block of sheets at the top of the stack is at a convenient distance above floor level for removal by pushing movement from an operating station directly behind the well. A shuttle table is mounted for movement between a rearward position in which its rear end is adjacent the stack at the elevation of the bottom of the block of sheets to he removed to a forward position in which its forward end is adjacent the rear end of a stationary receiving table located adjacent the trimming press or other operating machine.

After the stack has been raised to the desired level and the shuttle table has been moved to its rearward position, an air nozzle is inserted beneath the lowermost Vsheet of the block to be removed, and air is applied through the nozzle to provide an air cushion on which the block is partially oated onto the shuttle table in a forward pushing action until its forward end abuts retractable stops on said table. The shuttle table is then moved to its forward position and the stops are automatically retracted to permit the automatic pushing of the block from the shuttle table onto the horizontal receiving table, from which they are manually removed. It will be seen that the only manual steps required in this sequence are the pushing of th'e sheets from the stack to the shuttle table, the manipulation of the air jets and levelator control and the removal of the blocks from the receiving table. The timing of the automatic control features is, however, controlled by the manual steps of pushing the sheets onto the shuttle table and their removal from the receiving table as discussed hereinafter. These and other features of the invention and the manner in which they have been attained will be evident from reading ofl the following detailed description in the light of the attached drawing, in which,

Figure l is a side elevation of apparatus of the invention in its association with stacked blocks of paper sheets and a trimming press for operation upon said sheets, A

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure l,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but illustrating parts of the apparatus in a second position after a first feeding step,

Figure 4 is a similar view illustrating the parts after a second feeding step,

Figure`5 is a side elevation on a larger scaleof the slide or shuttle table,

Figure 6 is a partial plan view of the apparatus of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a cross-section on the line 7-7 of Figure 5,

Figure 8 is a cross-section on the line 8 8 of Figure 2,

Figures 9-11 are diagrammatic views corresponding to Figures 1, 3 and 4, respectively, and illustrating the relationships of the air valves, shuttle table operating motor and brake at these stages of the operation, and Figure 12 is a wiring and carriage operating diagram corresponding to the positions of the parts as the shuttle table moves rearwardly toward the stack.

The apparatus of the invention includes a Well 20 extending ybeneath the level of oor 21 and containing a verticallyadjustable stack support such as the conventional levelator 22 supporting a skid or pallet 23, which is located toward the rear of the support so that a stack forward side of the well. The movements of this shuttle table are controlled by actuating gear such as a pneumatic motor and linkage which impel it rearwardly across the gap 25 into the position of Figure 3, after the support 22, 23 has been raised to a position in whichthe lowermost sheet 28 of the block to be removed is in a plane at the top of table 26, and this block is then shoved onto table 26 across gap or space 25 and against end stops 29 as illustrated in Figure 3. By mounting the table 26 at Va convenient height relative to the operating station behind stack 24 and by raising support 22, 23 to bring the bottom of the uppermost block of sheets to this height, this block may be shoved onto table 26 from a position of optimum advantage.

In order further to facilitate movement of the block Patented June 14,1 1960 concepts, and I therefore wish it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited in interpretation except by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for removal of successive blocks of sheets from a tall stack of said fragile non-rigid sheets, the combination comprising a stationary table mounted above oor level in position to receive said sheets as they are fed forwardly from said stack, a vertically adjustable support within a well extending beneath the floor level and adapted to support said stack of sheets at successive upwardly adjusted positions in which the successive blocks of sheets to be removed from the top of said stack extend at a distance above floor level convenient for handling from an operating station behind said well, a shuttle table movable between a forward position in which its rear end is spaced forwardly of said stack and its forward end is adjacent and abutting said stationary table and with the top of said shuttle table being horizontally aligned with the top of said stationary table and a rearward position in which its rear end is in abutting sheet-receiving relation to said stack at the bottom of the block to be removed and its forward end is spaced rearwardly of said stationary table, means for reciprocating said shuttle table between said forward and rearward positions with continual movement therebetween, means for injecting air beneath said block of sheets to facilitate pushing the same from said stack to said shuttle table when said shuttle table is in its rearward position, and means for pushing said block of sheetsvforwardly from said shuttle table onto said stationary table after said shuttle table carrying sheets thereon reaches said forward position, said means for reciprocating said shuttle table including means responsive to the presence of a block of sheets thereon to cause the forward movement of said shuttle table, and means responsive to removal of said block of sheets forwardly thereof to return said shuttle table to its rearward position, and said means for pushing said block of sheets forwardly from said shuttle table onto said stationary table including means responsive to the removal of a previously delivered block of sheets from said stationar/ table to cause said pushing movement.

2. An apparatus as dened in claim l, in which said shuttle table is provided with forward stop means for limiting the forward position of paper pushed upon said shuttle table from said stack, and including means responsive to movement of said shuttle table to said forward position for retracting said stop means, and means responsive to movement of said shuttle table rearwardly for projecting said stop means above the supporting surface of said shuttle table.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said means for pushing said sheets forwardly from said shuttle table is a chain having a forwardly advancing run located beneath a. longitudinal slot in said shuttle table,

6 said chain having pusher bars projecting therefrom through said slot into pushing relationship with sheets deposited upon said table.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said means for pushing said sheets forwardly from said shuttle table also includes means responsive jointly to the presence of paper upon said shuttle table and to the forward location of said shuttle table adjacent said stationary table to cause said pushing movement.

5, In an apparatus for removal of successive blocks of fragile non-rigid sheets from a stack of said sheets, the combination comprising a stationary table mounted above door level in position to receive said sheets as they are fed forwardly from said stack, a vertically adjustable support within a well extending beneath the oor level and adapted to support said stack of sheets at successive upwardly adjusted positions in which the successive blocks of sheets to be removed from the top `of said stack extend at a distance above floor level convenient for handling from an operating station behind said well, a shuttle table movable between a forward position in which its rear end is spaced forwardly of said stack and its forward end is adjacent and abutting said stationary table and with the top of said shuttle table being horizontally aligned with the top of said stationary table and a rearward position in which its rear end is in abutting sheet-receiving relation to said stack at the bottom of the block to be removed and its forward end is spaced rearwardly of said stationary table, means for reciprocating said shuttle table between said forward and rearward positions with a continual movement therebetween, means responsive to completion of the rearward movement of said shuttle table to position adjacent said stack to maintain said shuttle table at said rearward position until said transfer of sheets from said stack onto said shuttle table, means responsive to removal of sheets from said stack to said shuttle table for conditioning said shuttle table moving means to impart a continual forward movement to said shuttle table, and means for removing from said shuttle table sheets carried forwardly thereby from said stack.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5, in which said means for removing said sheets from said shuttle table is responsive to removal of previously delivered sheets from the location to which they have been removed from said shuttle table by said removing means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,937,979 Reynolds Dec. 5, 1933 2,072,667 Coe Mar. 2, 1937 2,076,186 Reynolds et al Apr. 6, 1937 2,405,947 Gettig et al Aug. 20, 1946 2,554,320 Battey May 22, 1951 2,701,650 Stevenson Feb. 8, 1951 2,722,305 McCabe Nov. 1, 1955 2,770,346 Oswalt Nov. 13, 1956 

